Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pilsner glass. Illegibly stamped in the bottom right-hand corner of the label.

A: A gentle pour results in 85% of my glass immediately filling with head. I am nonplussed. Slowly, terribly slowly, the beer level rises. The monstrous head is textured, creamy, and pitted. The beer is dark chestnut, but crystal clear in direct lighting.

S: Roasted malts have a sweetish cereal tint.

T: Erm...I don't know if the beer is supposed to be like this. Thin and sour, with lots of fruity strangeness before a lightly bitter endtaste. It tastes like a Schwarzbier, but the mouthfeel accentuates the almost metallic sweetness that pervades most of the taste. Carbonation is spotty.

O: While open to the possibility that this is just a bad bottle, because the beer wasn't *obviously* faulty, I review it anyway. A mediocre black ale with half-hearted roast and a really offputting mouthfeel. Not recommended.

EDIT: After making it through half the glass (and eating some food), the beer is starting to grow on me. Perhaps I was a little harsh. Bumping the Mouthfeel from 1.5 to 2.0 accordingly. It's still not great, but it's drinkable. (1,166 characters)

Pours to a thin beige head that falls to a thin ring that persists to the bottom. Tries to lace, but can't quite hang on to the glass. Light ruby-black color. Aroma is sweet malt, roasted malts and a definite whiff of metal. Flavor is a nice blend of malty sweetness that ends with a nice tangy roasty finish to dry it out a bit. There are also hints of metal toward the end now and then. Mouthfeel is excellent with just the right amount of body on the tongue and restrained CO2 to smooth it out. Overall, I would say this was a good choice to pair with tonight's homemade jambalaya. The smell was off but after it breathed a bit the metallic notes disappeared.

Poured into a Dogfish signature snifter. There's Best By: written on the bottleneck but the date is mostly wiped off so it's unreadable.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a 1/2 inch tan head that doesn't retain long before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a small sheer clot of surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing leaves a thick ring around the edge of the glass.

S- Odd aroma that's borderline soapy and not pleasant. Also some roasted malt somewhere in there.

T- Mildly roasted malt brings some light chocolate and coffee to the table and lingers a bit. Pretty smooth and refined as per the style. Easy to drink but still flavorful. Touch of hop bitterness.

M- A bit thin but the body is sturdy enough for it not to be watery. Medium-low carbonation.

O- Pretty decent Schwarzbier. That strange aroma is something that I've encountered in other Bayou Teche beers as well as some of Lazy Magnolia's. I wonder if these breweries use tap water to brew and it's similar since they're within 150 miles of each other. Or it could be the yeast. Puzzling. (1,083 characters)

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is mild, some roasted malts. Taste is smooth, roasted malts, some hints of chocolate. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall an easy drinking and solid beer. (244 characters)

Overall: I like it OK...Nothing to really complain about, but nothing to compliment on either. Roasted flavor is good, so its worth a try. Also would probably make for easy drinking in a session. (671 characters)

Poured into a shaker pint glass. The beer pours black with a finger length light tan head. The beer smells like dark roasted malt and toffee. Very straightforward. The taste follows the nose. You get the toffee and dark roasted malt and not much else. That's not a bad thing. It's pretty tasty. The body is light to medium with moderate carbonation. This beer drinks like a sessionable beer. This is a good beer. (412 characters)

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass. Pours a dark black brown with a bit of see through amber. Really nice roasted malt and coffee/chocolate aromas. Taste doesnt quite live up to the aroma, but its still pretty good. Definite coffee flavor, with hints of chocolate; but its all mild...but a little more in the aftertaste. Its a bit over carbonated, but still easy to drink. Overall, a pretty good brew and worth a try. Nice to see a dark beer from a Louisiana brewery. (472 characters)

12 ounce bottle poured into a small snifter. Off white head, low retention on a dark ruby but clear body. Minimal lacing. Aroma includes caramel, coffee, roasted malts and some nuttiness. Taste follows suit with some bitterness in front, then yielding to the other flavors. Pretty tasty and quite easy to drink. (311 characters)

I had this beer during a recent trip to New Orleans. When I first ordered this beer, I thought it was going to be more stout like and heavy. Good for sipping, but not something you want to drink when it's hot and humid outside. I was pleasantly surprised upon my first sip. The beer was light and smooth, easy to drink. There was a nice nuttiness to it, with a slight bit of hops. Overall, a good dark beer to drink during the summertime. (438 characters)

A 12 ounce bottle from optimator13; thank you! Poured into a Deschutes tulip...

Pours a deep brown color that when held to the light reveals rich ruby hues in the body. A thin, one centimeter layer of khaki head formed; it slowly dissipated to a ring of frothy bubbles around and numerous legs through the surface of the liquid. The aroma is of grain, a german yeast/funk, faint caramel malt, and a cinnamon apple (think an apple crisp) note on the finish. Very intriguing and inviting. The taste is very similar, with the yeast and malt making a pronounced appearance in the front, followed by various grains, some caramel, and the same cinnamon apple finish. Mouthfeel is crisp on the tongue, but a bit resinous on the finish. Overall, an enjoyable and refreshing brew that did well to break up the clutter of stouts and porters released this time of year. (859 characters)

Had on tap. Taste is roasty malt, a bit of creamy sweetness and I detect a small touch of coconut. Good beer, but the body is a tad light for the style. That said, I would not pass this up. (190 characters)

NOTE: drank this in a shelf glass at Ye Olde College Inn, New Orleans, La. Bayou Teche LA-31 Biere Noire has a creamy, beige head and a black appearance. The aroma is mild, but one can pick up dark-roasted coffee and malts. Taste is dark-roasted barley malt, coffee, molasses, and just a touch of hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy and Bayou Teche LA-31 Biere Noire finishes pleasant, easy drinking, and mild. Overall, this is a very nice ale.

A big sudsy and froth tan head, growing to an easy fistfull big size, and slowly settling. Give to ring lacing, and foamy rivers when tipped. Body color is a classic dark walnut brown and nearly black with some clarity through the head. Really nice looking.

Good light roasted dark grains on the nose. Some faint milk chocolate, almost a clean mineral finish but with a bigger malt sensing depth coming. Some powdery quality of light cocoa as well and dried nuts.

Very nice light bodied, with a good finish. Light roast turns more towards coffee and chocolate, with a good thick quenching palate. Some nice yeast and malt thickness here for the body as well, with an almost crackly taste.

Overall a real nice refresher. Doesn't quite remind me of schwarzbier, but a solid dark ale if there was one. (860 characters)